Two games to go and a trophy within reach … this is a spot where teams out of playoff contention want to get longer looks at pieces for the future. Those future pieces can become present staples of your lineup down the stretch.
Each week, we’ll highlight diamonds in the rough or some players that just need to be rostered in more leagues on the defensive side of the ball. Keep in mind your scoring system and roster restraints when heading to the waiver wire to grab these IDPs.
Defensive Linemen
DE Dayo Odeyingbo, Indianapolis Colts
It feels like we highlight a different Colts lineman every week or so, but they’ve been one of the lone bright spots for Indy. The second-year, former second-round pick has begun to blossom. He has eight tackles and 3.5 sacks over the last two games. He played 53 percent of the snaps last week and has played at least 47 percent in each of the last six games. They should get a longer look at him over the last two weeks.
DE Carl Granderson, New Orleans Saints
The 26-year-old stepped up to make big plays the last couple of weeks, and no bigger was his sack to seal the game in Week 16. Granderson has 13 tackles and 1.5 sacks over the last two weeks. He played 71 percent of the snaps last week and has been trending upwards for a while. He’s a bargain bin option that’s producing.
Linebackers
LB Luke Masterson, Las Vegas Raiders
The 24-year-old rookie has quietly stood out over the last three weeks since Jayon Brown (hand) went to IR. He has played in 50 percent or more snaps over the stretch and tallied at least 10 tackles in the last two weeks. It’s hard to find 10-tackle players at this juncture. Scoop him up.
LB Jahlani Tavai, New England Patriots
The former second-round pick of the Detroit Lions is having one of the best stretches of his four-year career. Over the last three games, he has six, seven and seven tackles, respectively, and just set a new career high with 60 on the season. He’s a deeper league option with a high floor.
Defensive Backs
S Justin Simmons, Denver Broncos
Simmons was a player drafted in a lot of leagues entering the season, but he has been injured twice this year. He had a couple of nine-tackle games, but his play has been spotty. Fortunately, he has turned it on at the right time. Over the last four games, he picked off two passes in two of them. He also had six and nine tackles in the other two games. If he’s floating on waivers, he should be in your crosshairs.
CB Marcus Jones, New England Patriots
It’s not often that a corner posts a line that has you double-checking to see if he’s a safety or a linebacker. Jones did that in Week 16 with 14 tackles, a fumble recovery, an INT, a PD and a touchdown. Clearly an aberration, right? Well, he had 13 tackles, an INT and three PDs in the two previous games combined as well.
